Coronavirus and a political boycott trip up 'Mulan' at the box office

Chinese moviegoers are not flocking to the live-action 'Mulan.'

There are those who say the first sign that Disney's live-action remake of Mulan was in trouble was when they decided to eliminate the beloved animated dragon Mushu voiced by comedian Eddie Murphy.

Even before the twin releases to theaters and on Disney Plus, the online streamer, there were concerns that Mulan was not going to live up to the hype despite an all-star, all-Asian and Asian American cast bolstered by the Disney studio's full-throttled support.

The new retelling of Mulan, an old Chinese myth, slogged through a few miscues along the way to its long-delayed, but highly anticipated, release last month.

A Disney executive on recently briefly addressed the controversy plaguing his studio's big budget, live-action reboot of Mulan, which has generated backlash for being filmed partly in China’s Xinjiang region. That’s where Uighur Muslims have been imprisoned en masse in so-called “re-education centers.”

“I’m not a box office predicator [or] prognosticator, but [the backlash] has generated a lot of publicity; let’s leave it at that,” said Christine McCarthy, The Walt Disney Co.’s chief financial officer, at a Bank of America Virtual 2020 Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference.

As an indicator, the blockbuster did not top the Chinese box office, pulling in a disappointing $23 million in its first weekend in China. Mulan earned only $1.47 million on its second Friday to bring its eight-day total to $31.17 million. 

Months before the movie opened (Sept. 4 on Disney+ and in theaters in the Chinese market) there were calls for a boycott from Hong Kong protestors (prime movie-going age group) beause of Mulan star Liu Yifei's  statement of support for Hong Kong police, and by extension, the Beijing communist government. 

When Mulan was released on Disney+, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong tweeted, "This film is released today. But because Disney kowtows to Beijing, and because Liu Yifei openly and proudly endorses police brutality in Hong Kong, I urge everyone who believes in human rights to #BoycottMulan." That hashtag went viral.

That movement and boycott has gained momentum as the movie's general release date kept being postponed because of the coronavirus.

Speaking of COVID-19, Disney decided to go ahead and release their film despite not all of China's theaters not being able to open because of the pandemic.

READ: My short, short review of Mulan.

The backlash against Mulan gained even more traction after it was released in theaters and online at Disney-Plus when eagle-eye moviegoers watched the credits at the end of the movie. Disney thanked the government and officials of Xinjiang, China, the region where Uighur Muslims are being detained in mass internment camps, according to The New York Times.

Xinjiang, in western China, is home to about 11 million Uyghur people, "a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority that speak a language closely related to Turkish and have their own distinct culture," according to CNN. About one million Uyghurs are estimated to be detained in camps in the area, where they reportedly endure torture, abuse, political indoctrination, and forced labor. The Chinese government denies claims of abuse and says the camps are "vocational training centers" and necessary for preventing terrorism. 

Activists have used social media to spread the message that supporting Mulan is tantamount to being complicit in these human rights violations. 

Disney's head of finance, Christine McCarthy, responded to the controversy, saying that the criticism is overblown and that only small portions of the film were shot in Xinjiang.

"The real facts are that Mulan was primarily shot -- almost in entirety -- in New Zealand, said Disney's head of finance, Christine McCarthy, reports Deadline. "In an effort to accurately depict some of the unique landscape and geography of the country of China for this period drama, we filmed scenery in 20 different locations in China. It's common knowledge that, in order to film in China, you have to be granted permission. That permission comes from the central government."

"So, in our credits, it recognized both China and locations in New Zealand. I would just leave it at that, but it has generated a lot of issues for us."

Additionally, China's complex relations with neighboring countries has generated calls for boycotts in India, Singapore and South Korea.

As the backlash over Disney’s collaboration with Xinjiang began to pick up steam, days before the film's Sept. 11 opening in China, Chinese state media initiated a media blackout of coverage of the film robbing the Disney folks of any momentum in publicizing their $200-million movie, according to Reuters.

Chinese stars were cast in 'Mulan.'

The highly anticipated film was  tailored for the Chinese market, the second largest int he world after the U.S., by dropping the fantasy and music of the original 1996 cartoon version in order to become more culturally appropriate, spending months to study the costumes and architecture of the era and casting big-name Chinese stars such as Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Gong Li and Liu Yifei.

In the U.S., its draw among Asian Americans was that it was the first big-budget movie produced by a Hollywood studio with an all-Asian cast with an Asian theme. The first was Crazy Rich Asians which dispelled studio-held beliefs that movies with Asian lead actors couldn't draw multi-racial audiences.

Two other studio-driven movies, Flower Drum Song and the Joy Luck Club, preceded  Crazy Rich Asians but both were isolated blips in Asian American movie history. Neither of the films didn't  break box-office expectations to gain any follow-up momentum for other Asian American related films, a groundbreaking feat accomplished by Crazy Rich Asians. That breakthrough opened the doors for several other Hollywood productions with Asian themes with AAPI lead characters. 

To be sure, Mulan is a beautiful film and the action scenes are spectacular and is worth the a pleasant 2-hour escape from today's troubles. However, I'm not sure if that is enough to overcome the fortune-cookie dialogue the actors are saddled with. It's as if the writers had just watched "Little Grasshopper" get lectured to in the TV show Kung Fu and think all Chinese normally speak English in this stilted way.

Mulan's so-so performance thus far raises fears among AAPI Hollywood artists that feed the old, racist belief among the movie-making industry's decision-makers that Asian-led films aren't profitable.

We'll have to wait and see how Mulan does globally when more American theaters open their doors to see if the Disney can recoup its $200-million investment.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution, this article is news laced with opinion. Readers are encouraged to seek multiple news sources to formulate their own positions. 

UPDATED Sept. 21, 9:45 s.m. for clarity.

TGIF Feature: My short, short, short review of the live-action 'Mulan'

Iconic Chinese actress Gong Li as Xian Lang, the witch.

After waiting years and having the rug pulled out at least four times in anticipation of its opening. I couldn't wait any longer for the local theater to watch Mulan. So I oped to watch it in my coronvirus-inspired setting.

Directing: Niki Caro created a visually stunning film, but more attention should have been made towards character development. And, mo god, how did you ever accept the writing? (See below).

Action: Spectacular, but I inherently fantastic Chinese martial art movies and easily accept the jumping on rooftops and running horizontally.

Costumes: Beautiful. Bina Daigeler should get an Oscar nod and if she does walk up to the stage to receive a statue, I hope she brings along Gong Pan Pan, her Chinese fashion consultant. I can forgive them because they're creating for what looks best cinematically, not an anthropological thesis. But then again, I'm not a student of fashion history.

Acting: Adequate. Best in the non-action scenes. Problem was in the dialogue (See below). Gong Li came off the best as the Witch (I'd love to see her in more accessible films.) Jet Li and Donnie Yen had little to work with. Liu Yufei was OK as the Tom-boyish Mulan but she excelled in the action scenes.

Dialogue: Clunky. Did every line from authority figures -- the father, the captain, the witch -- have to have that "Kung Fu, grasshopper" kind of pronouncement? How many times do we have to get hit over the head about the importance of family? The dialogue felt like it was written by those folks who do the translations for the foreign language captions. The clumsy writing sounds like it was by writers and a director just learning about Chinese values (Turns out, that's all-too true.) or former writers of fortune cookie fortunes. It is hard to imagine that with the millions poured into this film Disney couldn't find an Asian writer.

In short: See it in theaters if you can. It's a beautiful film to immerse yourself in. Don't compare it to the 1996 animated version of Mulan, otherwise, you'll be disappointed. They are two separate movies and should be viewed as such. Best to watch it without expectations.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution, this is news sprinkled with opinion. Readers are encouraged to seek multiple news sources to formulate their own positions. 

New trailer suggests more action-oriented 'Mulan'

Anticipation is growing for the release of Disney's live-action remake of Mulan that will have its general release this Sept. 4.

The latest trailer of the film gives a better idea of the spectacle of the 2020 Mulan will be like with more emphasis on action than the animated version.

After delaying the film’s release date four times already due to COVID-19, Disney announced last week that the remake of its 1998 animated classic would release in most major territories on its streaming service Disney Plus for $29.99 starting Sept. 4. It also said it would release the film theatrically in territories where cinemas are open but Disney Plus is not currently available.

A date hasn't been picked for the movie's China release -- which Disney hopes will go a long way in recouping the reported $200 million production cost of the film. Theaters, which opened in some areas on July 20,  have begun promoting the Disney product.

The new trailer has raised speculation about possible return of the beloved Mushu character voiced by Eddie Murphy in the original. Mushu, the dragon, besides providing comic relief, had a huge role as a spiritual guide for the woman warrior. 

Near the end of the trailer, instead of a dragon, a reflection of a flying Phoenix is seen in Mulan's sword, apparently to inspire the warrior to other-worldly feats.

The legendary Phoenix makes an appearance during Mulan's most trying challenge.

A Phoenix might be more culturally palatable to Chinese audiences, who crave the Hollywood craftsmanship in movie making, but are naturally wary about American interpretations of things Chinese.

Although the Disney remake is supposed to be more "realistic" than the 1998 version, it is still based on a legend and the fighting scenes appears to include some fantastical scenes more reminiscent of the fighting scenes seen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- flying over rooftops.

The new Mulan has introduced Xian Lang, a sorceress played by Gong Li, who wasn't in the original. The sorceress, it appears, also has some powers that takes the viewers to the realm of fantasy. The sorceress' magical powers overcomes the ordinary mortal Mulan, but what better way to fight against dark magic than with magic of your own?

Mulan opening now indefinite -- no new date announced

Liu Yifei will star in the new Mulan movie.

At this rate, we might not see the live-action Mulan movie until 2021. Because of the coronavirus, the general release of the long anticipated film has been postponed four times and no new date has been announced.

“Over the last few months, it’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis, and today that means pausing our release plans for Mulan as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world,” said a Disney spokesperson.

Mulan was not alone to be victimized by the pandemic. Hollywood has postponed the opening a whole slew of films because of the coronavirus and theater closures. 

The original release of Mulan was supposed to be March 9, then it was switched to July and then once again, moved to August. The decision to hold off on the opening has to do with improving the chances for profit. The big-budget feature by Disney needs a big opening to recoup the $200 million budget of the English-speaking film with an all-Asian cast.

China just opened some of its theaters after being closed for six months because of the coronavirus. Los Angeles and New York City — the two most important movie markets in North America — still don’t have plans for any cinemas to reopen because of the bans on large gatherings due to the pandemic.

Mulan features Chinese star Liu Yifei as the legendary fearless Chinese warrior who disguises herself as a man to spare her elderly father from having to serve in the military. Unlike the original animated version of the Disney movie, the live-action film will hew closer to the myth and won't spotlight the much-loved songs of the original.

'Mulan' movie's general release planned for this summer

The world premiere of Mulan was held in Hollywood on March 9 with much of its international cast in attendance.

Disney Studios announced that the much-anticipated general release of Mulan will be July 24. The original release date was supposed to be March 27, but then -- coronavirus happened and the world changed.

With much of China in quarantine last March, to play safe, the studio postponed the original March opening because it wants to have maximum US and international exposure and attendance for this big-budget feature starring a bevy of Chinese and Asian American stars. Disney hopes people will be allowed to attend the movies again by mid-summer.

“To avoid catastrophic losses to the studios, these titles must have the fullest possible theatrical release around the world,” an earlier statement from the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) reads.

The delayed opening of Mulan has a domino-like effect on a bunch of other Disney-Marvel productions pushing their releases. back.

With the Mulan release moving to the summer, that bumped the Scarlett Johansson Marvel flick, Black Widow to November 6, which was supposed to be the opening of The Eternals, featuring new Marvel superheroes Gemma Chan and the buffed up Kumail Nanjiani.

The new opening date for The Eternals will be Feb. 12, 2021, which was supposed be our first look at Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, starring Simu Liu.

The first Marvel flick with an Asian hero in the lead role played by Chinese Canadian Liu, the Shang-Chi flick now is scheduled to open on May 7, 2021.

Before the self-isolate mandate went into full effect to combat the spread of the coronavirus, on March 9 Mulan had its red-carpet premiere in Hollywood to generally rave reviews from those in attendance. These glittery affairs are usually invitation only for audiences who have something at stake in the film's success.

TGIF Feature: Coronavirus delays release of Disney's movie 'Mulan'

DiSNEY

In Disney's live-action remake, Liu Yufei plays Mulan, center.

The coronavirus has claimed another victim. The highly anticipated general release of the live-action movie Mulan has been postponed because Walt Disney Pictures believed COVID-19 would dampen attendance.

Originally set to be released in the US on March 27, the spectacle telling the tale of a daughter who disguises herself as a boy to take her father's place in the emperor's army, is now set for a date to be determined.

Mulan cost $200 million to make and was specifically aimed at a Chinese audience. Disney relies on international markets to pad its studios revenue. But since theaters are still closed in China, the studio was concerned about recouping its budget.

On Thursday, Niki Caro, the film's director tweeted out bad news to those fans awaiting the film's March 27 general release.

"Our hearts are with everyone the world over who is affected by this virus, and we hope that Mulan's fighting spirit will continue to inspire those who are working so hard to keep us all safe," she wrote.

In an attempt to be more culturally correct, the new film diverged from the original animated version by eschewing some of its popular musical numbers in favor of more extended martial arts action and spectacular battle scenes.

It stars an international cast of Chinese and Asian American actors led by popular Chinese actress Liu Yufei as the title character, Gong Li, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Rosalind Chao and Jason Scott Lee.

The movie had its red-carpet premiere in Los Angeles three days ago and got a great reaction from an already receptive audience. Some in attendance called it the best of Disney's live-action remakes.

Mulan, the first Asian American blockbuster, would have been the crowning glory of a month of Asian American debuts. Even with Mulan's postponed release, the month still launches four television series and a movie, Go Back to China, an Asian American production starring Anna Akana.

The coronavirus is continuing to spread and several countries have quarantined it's residents. Italy has quarantined the entire country. China still has millions of its residents in quarantine and residents are encouraged to stay home, which would exclude going to the movies.

Several other Hollywood movies have delayed their releases, including the new James Bond movie No Time to Die and Disney's The New Mutants, an X-Men thriller.

Production on Marvel Studios’ upcoming Shang-Chi has been temporarily suspended because he film's director, Destin Daniel Cretton, is self-isolating himself because he might have contracted the pathogen and he his family might contract the virus.

March could rival 'Asian August' for AAPI representation in Hollywood

Yifei Liu stars in the live-action movie 'Mulan,' debuting in March.

We need to come up with a name for March, which will be a huge month for launching Asian American projects on American television.

We dubbed" Asian August" for the 2018 debut of  Crazy Rich Asians with its all-Asian cast, the John Cho starrer Searching and on TV the YA romcom To All the Boys I Ever Loved with Lana Condor in the lead. Those projects opened the doors and eyes of Hollywood to the profitability and acceptability of Asian-led or Asian-themed movies and series.

March might not be as historic but it could be equally entertaining as Asian August was in 2018. March has two films and four TV projects being launched that could cement the idea of Asian and Asian American storylines and actors taking the lead.

As an exclamation point to #RepresentationMatters, the South Korean movie Parasite won the Oscar for Best Picture this year and is doing boffo business at the US box office despite having subtitles and an all-Korean cast.

Mulan, March 27 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this post was first published, the release of Mulan has been delayed because of the coronavirus.

Let's start with the biggest event: the long-awaited release of the live-action Mulan. The Disney film, the telling the ancient Chinese legend, is set to premiere on March 27, over 20 years after the release of the original animated hit film featuring the studio's first Asian "princess."

We've written about the upcoming movie in previous posts as it developed.A lot is riding on the film with a budget north of $100 million. Here are some of the major changes:

• It won't be a musical so actors won't be breaking into the iconic songs associated with the animated version. Instead, we'll hear the familiar notes as background music; 
• Mushu the dragon, originally voice by Eddie Murphy, won't be in the new pic even though it was one of the most beloved characters in the animated version; 
• Li Shang, Mulan's commanding officer and the romantic interest in the original, has been eliminated in the wake of #MeToo movement, according to director Niki Caro;
• New characters have been added: Gong Li plays a sorceress with magic powers, 
• The movie is starting in the hole after lead actress Yifei Liu voiced her support of the Hong Kong police, anti-government demonstrators vowed to boycott the film; In addition, the fears of the coronavirus may dampen box office expectations in China

Other well-known cast members include, Jet Li, Gong Li, Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Tzi Ma and Rosalind Chao, 

It was five years in the making but, at last, the live-action Mulan is finally here -- coronavirus or not!

Devs, March 5

The Sonoya Mizuno (Crazy Rich Asians, Ex Machina) limited series Devs will premiere March 5 on streaming network Hulu.

In Devs, an FX limited series, a young software engineer, Lily Chan, investigates the secret development division of her employer, a cutting-edge tech company based in Silicon Valley, which she believes is behind the murder of her boyfriend.

Devs stars Sonoya Mizuno as “Lily Chan;” Nick Offerman as “Forest,” the CEO of Amaya; Jin Ha as “Jamie,” Lily’s former boyfriend; Karl Glusman as “Sergei,” Lily’s boyfriend; Zach Grenier as “Kenton,” Amaya’s Head of Security; Stephen McKinley Henderson as “Stewart,” one of the top minds working in Amaya’s secret development division; Cailee Spaeny as the young, brilliant “Lyndon;” and Alison Pill as “Katie,” the gifted quantum physicist and second in command at Amaya.

Alex Garland writes, directs and serves as executive producer of Devs along with Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich of DNA TV, Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Garrett Basch. The series is produced by FX Productions.

Go Back To China, March 6

Youtube influencer Anna Akana stars in Go Back to China, director Emily Ting’s follow-up to her 2015 movie, “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong.” Akana will portray a Chinese American party girl who blows through most of her trust fund and is forced by her father to go back to China and work for the family toy business. Through her journey, she gets a much needed dose of reality check and comes to terms with her estranged family.

Even though Akana has over 2-million subscribers on her Youtube channel, this may be her big break as a leading woman. Advance reviews give the comedy a thumbs-up.

Family Karma, March 8

The Family Karma premieres Sunday, March 8 at 9/8c on Bravo. The Miami-based reality show centers on a group of Indian American friends and their families. Beautiful rich people in sexy Miami says Bravo might have a hit on it's hands. Arranged marriages, mixed couples, etc. Expect a lot of culture clashes between the parents and the young adults.

Mira, Royal Detective, March 20

Mira, Royal Detective will premiere in the U.S. on Friday, March 20 (11 a.m. EDT/PDT on Disney Channel and 7 p.m. EDT/PDT on Disney Junior). A  cast of Indian American stars from Dev Patel to Jameela Jamil provide the voices for the characters. Brown Asian American kids will finally see characters that look like them.

Almost Paradise, March 30

Philippine-based Almost Paradise debuts on Monday, March 30, 10 p.m. on the WGN America network. Created by Filipino American producer Dean Devlin, who has a score of box office hits, including Independence Day, Godzilla, The Librarian series, the Stargate franchise.

Shot on location in the Cebu, Philippines,  stars The Librarian star Christian Kane. The 10-episode action series hopes to make the most of the Hawaii-like appeal of the tropical island setting.

Almost Paradise centers on Alex Walker (Kane), a former US DEA agent who was forced into early retirement. Once the DEA’s most resourceful undercover operative, the combination of his partner’s betrayal and a life-threatening battle with hypertension has sent him as far from the madness as he can go… a small tropical island in the Philippine Archipelago. Despite his best efforts to begin a tranquil new life, he’s pulled back into a world of dangerous people and deadly situations, either through his friends in the local police or running into people from his old life. And the problem is, he likes it.

Naturally, the show will give the opportunity for breakout roles for lot of Southeast Asian talent, especially Samantha Richelle, a real-life Brunei princess, who portrays Kai Mendoza, a new detective in the local police force.

Back to my original question at the top of this post. Asian March? MarchAsian? Asian Spring? Help me out, readers. Any suggestions?

2020 will make 2019 look like a slow year

Awkwafina is Nora from Queens.

If you thought 2019 was a busy year for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, gird yourselves for 2020. The year could have several "turning points," in AAPI history.

Right off the bat, the Golden Globes last Sunday saw history made when Awkwafina won best actress in a musical or cmedy, the first actor of Asian descent to win in that category.

Awkwafina and The Farewell could also write some more history if they are nominated for Academy Awards. South Korea's Parasite will likely be nominated for Best Foreign Film. 
Watch for the nomination announcements Jan. 13. The awards show will be Feb. 9. 

We're also looking forward to Nora from Queens, a new sitcom starring Awkwafina, Bowen Yang and BD Wong premiering on Jan. 22 on Hulu. It will be taking the AAPI baton from Fresh Off the Boat.

Fresh Off the Boat, featuring the Americanization of the Huang family, will end its ground-breaking six-year run in February.

Warrior, set in San Francisco's Chinatown in the mid-1800s, will have its second season premiere in the Spring.


The controversial and much anticipated live-action movie version of Mulan, with it's all Asian cast, will premiere in March.

The Eternals is set to be released in November when we'll get a look at Kumail Nanjiani, Ma Dong-Seok and Gemma Chan as Marvel superheroes.

We're also expecting new releases from Dave Bautista, John Cho, Deve Patel, Keanu Reeves and Dwayne Johnson.

The courts will making news with its decisions regarding immigration being proposed by the Trump administration. Almost all the administration's policies have been challenged by civil rights and immigration advocates. Cases involving the public charge requirement, family reunification, refugee status, visa requirements, a host of deportations and DACA will be winding through the court system. 

The courts will also see the Harvard University affirmative action debate move into the circuit court of appeals.

2020 is a presidential election year and the primary season kicks off witih Iowa's Caucus on Feb. 4 and the other states will have their elections all the way through the summer.

Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard will likely continue their campaigns all the way through to the Democratic convention. 

The Republicans will also have their convention this summer although there's less suspense who their pick will be.

Also up will be bunch of AAPI candidates running for Congressional seats in California, Hawaii, Arizona, Texas, New Jersey and New York. We expect that there will be others who haven't announced their intentions yet.

A whole batch of AAPI candidates will dip their toes into politics at the state, county and city levels also.

By April 1, every household in the US will receive an invitation to take part in the US Census. Taken every 10 years, the Census will help determine representation in Congress and federal funding appropriation for a number of programs.

And, oh yeah, there's this impeachment thing on and we might have another war in the Middle East or the China Sea if North Korea doesn't send missiles our way first.

Mulan release date announced; new poster & trailer released

UPDATED Dec. 5, 9:30 a.m. to include new trailer.

The live-action remake of Mulan hits theaters on March 27th, 2020 ahead of Disney's newest installment of the George Lucas-inspired space saga, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Fans are still waiting to see if Mushu will have a part in the remake or not. His absence was another problem audiences had with early trailers but we hear that the dragon is part of the live-action film. 

The highly anticipated remake of Disney's 1998 original animated version hit some delays that involved extensive reshoots.

In preparation for the new trailer, Disney put out the new poster featuring Mulan, played by popular Chinese actress  Liu Yifei, in a fighting posture. Word is that the film will sacrifice the music featured in the original but will beef up the fighting scenes. 

The early trailer released four months ago drew some criticism from China over historical inaccuracies.

Liu Yifei also attracted criticism for her remarks against the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong drawing calls for a boycott of the film.

Directed by Niki Caro, the movie also stars Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Yoson An, Xana Tang, Jason Scott Lee and Ron Yuan.

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Calls for boyccott of 'Mulan' because of star's Hong Kong ccomments

DISNEY

Crystal Liu may have missed her mark with her comments on the Hong Kong demonsstrations.

ASAM NEWS

A comment on social media by Crystal Liu, otherwise known as Liu Yifei, supporting the response by Hong Kong police against pro-democracy protestors, has set off a backlash.
Supporters of the demonstrators are calling for a boycott of Mulan, the live-action remake from Disney, in which she plays the title character, reports the Guardian.

Liu, who was born in China and moved to New York at the age of 10, wrote on the Chinese social media site Weibo, “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now. What a shame for Hong Kong.”

Although she returned to China at the age of 15 to study acting, Liu reportedly is a naturalized American citizen .

Some have accused Hong Kong police of using excessive force, but other actors, including Jackie Chan have also supported both police and the Chinese government. Tony Leung Ka-Fai and Daniel Chan also have taken a pro-China stance, reported the International Business Times.

Celebrities in China are not immune to the sometimes hard treatment by the government. Popular actress Fan Bingbing, who was making an international name for herself, including in Hollywood, mysteriously disappeared for a year without explanation. Nobody knew where she was. She resurfaced in 2018 with an apology for evading taxes.

"As a public figure, I should have abided by laws and regulations, and been a role model in the industry and society," she said in a letter posted on social media last October. "I shouldn't have lost self-restraint or become lax in managing my companies, which led to the violation of laws in the name of economic interests."

"Without the favorable polices of the Communist Party and state, without the love of the people, there would have been no Fan Bingbing," she added.

Fan's case was seen as a warning from President Xi Jinping to other celebrities not to cross the Beijing government.

Mulan is not due out until March 27, 2020. It remains to be seen if the calls for a boycott, by then will have lost its steam or gained momentum.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

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Disney drops first trailer for live-action 'Mulan'

The first trailer for the live action Mulan was released Sunday and it looks absolutely gorgeous. 

Any doubts that star Liu Yifiei (Forbidden Kingdom) can convincingly handle a sword should be put to rest.

What the trailer doesn't show is any of the characters singing. The production team led by director Niki Caro vacillated between making the movie a straight action drama or to include the popular music that made the 1998 animated version so enjoyable.

When Liu was cast, it was assumed that her singing would be featured in the movie but later comments by Caro seemed to indicate that the production abandoned the idea of using the music associated with the animated Mulan.

The film was originally expected to start production earlier this year with a projected release in December, so it is not known if production was delayed due to working the music in. It is now due for release in March 2020.

Now, according to our friends at The DisInsider, Walt Disney Studios is gearing up to add some of the familiar music from the 1998 hit animated film, as well as Mulan’s faithful sidekick and comic-relief “Mushu,” the fire-breathing dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy in the original. Disney's CGI department did an outstanding job in The Lion King, so Mushu should be a piece of cake.

Unlike some of the other Disney live-action films, however; Mulan may not be adhering as close to the animated source material.

Gong Li, a superstar in China, is playing a brand new villain, and she isn’t the only new character included. Donnie Yen (Rogue One) plays a role of a mentor, and they’re also changing the love-interest. The star-studded, all-Asian and Asian American cast also includes Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Rosalind Chao, Cheng Pei-Pei and martial arts superstar Jet Li.

Mulan is the epic adventure of a fearless young woman who masquerades as a man in order to fight Northern Invaders attacking China. The eldest daughter of an honored warrior, Hua Mulan is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. When the Emperor issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army, she steps in to take the place of her ailing father as Hua Jun, becoming one of China’s greatest warriors ever.

The decision to reprise Mulan's musical roots, and even to add new songs, to the live-action version, may have been influenced by the acceptance and success of another live-action remake of an animated hit, Aladdin, which weaved the popular songs (including "A Whole New World") into the remake.

Any doubts Hollywood may have had about Asian actors and Asian-themed storylines able to attract audiences should be put to rest by the success of Crazy Rich Asians. Disney has been at the forefront of diversifying its casting options. The latest big blockbuster that Disney has benefited from the Aladdin, which went to great lengths to cast culturally appropriate actors for a story that takes place along the Silk Road, linking China, the Mideast and Euruope.

Last week Variety reports that Aladdin, starring Mena Massoud in the title role and Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine with Will Smith as the Genie and  has grossed over $900 million worldwide with no signs of slowing down for the rest of the summer.

Aladdin has been the surprise of the summer becoming one of the studio’s biggest live-action titles ever. It joins Beauty And The Beast, The Jungle Book, Alice In Wonderland and three of the Pirates Of The Caribbean films in reaching the milestone.

Aladdin, directed by Guy Ritchie, is currently the 3rd biggest film of the year domestically and worldwide, and the No. 1 film of 2019 so far outside of the Marvel superhero franchise.

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Netflix apologizes and corrects credit slight to Mulan voice actress

COMICBOOK.COM

Ming-Na Wen provided the voice for the animated version of Mulan.

NETFLIX corrected its oversight when it didn't give credit to the Asian Americans who provided voices to the animated version of Mulan, including Ming-Na Wen, who gave the voice to the lead character.

A day after Ming-Na Wen called on Mulan fans to complain to Netflix for its mistake, the streaming service responded with this:

The gross mistake was first noticed by Twitter user Dave Sanchez, or @kroqkom, after watching the Disney classic on Netflix.

Netflix only gave voice credit to Miguel Ferrer (Shan-Yu), Harvey Fierstein (Yao) and June Foray (Grandmother Fa) as the main cast in its summary of the film. Sanchez tweeted out a screen capture of Netflix's summary  demanded the streaming service give credit to the leading actress of the film. 

Ming-Na Wen saw his Tweet and noted that BD Wong, who voiced Mulan's love interest, was also not credited. In fact, the streaming service failed to credit any actor of color. She urged fans of the 1998 film to complain to Netflix.

Now if you click on Mulan on Netflix Ming Na We  it has corrected its oversight and more. It credits the film's main cast Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong and Eddie Murphy, who gave voice to Mushu the dragon. Netflix also gave credit to George Takei, even though he voiced a minor character First Ancestor.

Ming-Na Wen can be seen on her regular gig on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as bad-ass Melinda May.  The Marvel series' 6th season will premiere this summer and has already been approved for its 7th season.

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TGIF Feature: Rapper, Lin Manuel Miranda drop an ode to Rufio, leader of the Lost Boys

Filipino American actor Dante Basco played Rufio in the movie 'Hook.'

WHO WOULD have predicted that Lost Boys leader Rufio would become such an inspirational figure for young Asians and Asian Americans?

Rufio, a central figure in the children's story Peter Pan, was played by Filipino American actor Dante Basco in the movie Hook, which starred the late Robin Williams.

Following the drop of his single “Vanity”, Utkarsh Ambudkar has just released his animated music video for “Rufio” via Rolling Stone. The track is an epic collaboration with Lin- Manuel Miranda, Basco, and The Olympics. Directed by Tayen Kim, the video shines a light on being an outcast, race, the first generation immigrant experience, politics, Hollywood and more with his raw and melodic hip-hop sound.

Ambudkar remembers his exact reaction to seeing Basco play Rufio in Hook. “Badass,” said the young actor-rapper, known for his roles in The Mindy Project and Pitch Perfect. Soon, he’ll be known for his role as con artist Skath in the live-action remake of Mulan, which he’s currently training for and filming in New Zealand.

“I never related to Peter Pan,” Ambudkar tells Rolling Stone. But the fictional character of Rufio – the leader of the Lost Boys – struck a personal note for Ambudkar, who is Indian American. It was the first time he saw an Asian actor cast as the tough guy – in the movies or on TV.

HAMILTON MIXTAPE

Utkarsh Ambudkar, right, working with Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Ambudkar has dropped an animated video for “Rufio,” one that drives home those superhero qualities that strengthened his own identity. He even includes a shout-out to the Basco's Philippine roots, casting out the sun of the Philippine flag. Basco's part (at the 2:38 mark) includes the line "for all the brown boys and brown girls - yo, that's me! We're not the sidekick, or the butt of a joke ..."

Ambudkar worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda in a the criticlly acclaimed hip-hop group Freestyle Love Supreme before Miranda hit gold with Hamilton. 

Ambudkar and Miranda remained close over the years. They have matching tattoos of the Freestyle Love Supreme microphone that stood for their crew from the early days of their music careers in New York. Ambudkar says he even helped create the Aaron Burr character in "The Hamilton Mixtape," long before it hit Broadway. 

Basco’s contribution was a pivotal one on Ambudkar’s debut album, Vanity, which he feels is aligned with a wave of Asian and Asian American-empowerment with the recent groundbreaking success of films like Crazy Rich Asians and Searching. The goal of the album is to inspire brown people, he says. “The themes are: ‘What is it like to be brown in America? And how do we empower each other?'”

Ambudkar never dreamed that one day he would sit down to write about that moment with Rufio, his childhood hero.  He asked his Blindspotting costar, Indian American actress Janina Gavankar, to introduce him to Basco, who lives in L.A. (“She knows everybody,” he explains). 

Basco was game. He worked on the song, called “Rufio,” with Ambudkar and even brought his gold sword from Hook for inspiration. They both held it while rapping their bars into the microphone.

On "Vanity," Ambudkar made sure he was not “the only Indian in the room” by including a variety of South Asian artists such as Das Racist’s Heems, Brooklyn Shanti, Kaly and Samora Pinderhughes. Plus, his old battle-rapping buddy, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

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